Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Christmas time is supposed to be heart-warming and fun and lots of joy. But on Christmas Eve I spent it at my parents house and before dinner they had the news on. There isn't much to do when i'm at my parents house so i sat down to watch what was going on in Australia. There wasn't alot happening which, i guess is good for Christmas until they aired their last article, normally aired after the weather and sport.

It was an Australian troops in Iraq Christmas Greeting. It wasn't an unusual article to feature but it saddened me like i couldn't believe.

I'm not usually one to be affected by news articles but as i watched their greetings i just felt this great lump in my throat. I thought that it was so heartbreaking to watch them have to send home a greeting instead of spending it in the flesh with their loved ones.

Although i was really sad watching it, it wasn't until one of the last greetings that tears just rolled down my cheeks, even writing this, it still makes me feel emotional.

A grown man, probably in his late 40's or 50's sent home a greeting and started off ok but as he said things like, 'i love you all, i miss you all very much and i'm wishing i could be their to spend Christmas with you' blah blah etc etc, stuff like that, he started getting all choked up, unable to get his message across and becoming very teary. Being a man and everything he probably didn't want to cry but it was pretty obvious that he just needed to be with his family for Christmas.

Now, being at my own parents house, i was fairly embarressed not being able to hold back the tears but i just kind of did the whole coughing-i-must-be-getting-sick routine to cover up my saddness.

But it's awful to think that people are sending home Christmas greetings because they're in another country fighting a war against evil and corruption etc instead of relaxing with their families. These soldiers, these men and women shouldn't have to be sending home Christmas greetings and that's what made me so sad! They're so committed to bringing peace and safety and unity back to other countries and so committed to enforcing values and morals that they're missing out on their own families lives.

You know, war doesn't just affect soldiers and their enemies and the country they're fighting in, it affects they're families and our own countries as well. The affects of war has a chain reaction and unfortunately it's not a good one. But you all knew that!

I guess i wish that we didn't have to have war, that soldiers didn't have to miss out on Christmas and i guess alot of people probly feel exactly the same way. 90% of the time, war doesn't really impact me, i don't blink an eyelid that it's even going on, until you see something like that on tv that just completely rips ya heart in half and then you realise just how much hurt is going on in the world.

Anyway, i didn't know what to title this blog and it doesn't really seem appropriate but i'm glad that i had the opportunity to spend christmas with my family and friends and the people closest to me because it's something we all take for granted and something that alot of people have missed out on this Christmas!

I'm dedicating this blog to all the soldiers who haven't had the great blessing of a joyous Christmas with the people closest to them. You are a valued part of our society!

Everyone take care and have a safe and fulfilled new year in 2006!

Love and prayers
Tink xoxo